2 BY 4: Fans at the Stadium yesterday root for Derek Jeter to get four hits to break Lou Gehrig’s Yankee record.Anthony J. Causi/New York Post

THERE is a shorthand to Derek Jeter’s huge postseason hits. First pitch off Bobby Jones. Mr. November against Byung-Hyun Kim. Jeffrey Maier.

A few words conjure thousands of images and memories.

Now try to do the same for the regular season. Strange, isn’t it? Jeter was on the brink of having more hits than any Yankee in history, and it is hard to conjure any one of the 2,700-plus. And, in a way, that makes him the perfect man to replace Lou Gehrig atop this list.

For the beauty of both Gehrig and Jeter is in the whole. It is in stepping away from the canvas to appreciate the full work of art. Not one moment. But one brilliant day after another forming a masterpiece.

They are beautiful mosaics. You might not think much of one tile. But when they are all assembled — all the 1-for-3s and 2-for-5s — your breath is taken away.

They are not Babe Ruth or Alex Rodriguez, where you could see the highlight reel on any one day. For Gehrig and Jeter, the genius was in the accumulation. Day after day of relentless excellence.

Of course, they both brought athletic strengths: Gehrig’s power, Jeter’s speed, both of their elite hand-eye coordination. But when you think of these historic Yankees, you think of their durability and consistency. You think of workman qualities.Which is why it would have been so ideal if Jeter had set the record at the start of the Yankees’ homestand. Because it was Labor Day, a day when we celebrate the worker.

“It makes it easier on all of us because you pencil his name in every day,” Joe Girardi said of Jeter. “There is something about being durable and productive on a daily basis. That is extremely hard to do.”

Gehrig, the Iron Horse, spent more than a half century owning the major league record for consecutive games played, an achievement that described him more than any flashy quote ever could.

Jeter is en route to playing 148-plus games for the 13th time in 14 years. The only time he didn’t was 2003, when he separated his shoulder on Opening Day. He was told the quickest he could return was six weeks. He was back in exactly six weeks. He hit .324.

His most famous regular season moment was not a hit, but when he dived headlong into the stands after making a running catch on July 1, 2004, against the Red Sox. One of the most famous faces in the country came up bloody. He played the next day against the Mets.

A huge segment of his admirers may think of Jeter as a matinee idol. But he is tough. He is more likely to divulge secrets of his highly protected personal life than ever talk about injuries. His credo is if he is in the lineup, then no excuses.

The Iron Horse would admire him for having such a code, for never seeking an alibi, for finding a way to thrive year after year regardless the condition of his body or his surroundings.

“It is unusual to have someone that consistent on a daily basis for this long,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said.

Jeter’s brilliance is not in the tape measure, unless you lay one from one end of his career to the other. If you saw him just once, you might not remember him. But if you watched day after day, game after game, year after year, you recognize the Gehrig in him.

So it is just right that a record that demands longevity, steadiness and sturdiness is being passed from Gehrig to Jeter. It is a baton pass through time that feels just perfect.